
NSF Org: |
ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | September 9, 2020 |
Latest Amendment Date: | March 28, 2022 |
Award Number: | 2040737 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Pradeep Fulay
pfulay@nsf.gov (703)292-2445 ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
Start Date: | September 15, 2020 |
End Date: | May 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $920,000.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $920,000.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700 LOS ANGELES CA US 90024-4200 (310)794-0102 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
CA US 90095-1406 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | Convergence Accelerator Resrch |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): | |
Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports use-inspired, team-based, multidisciplinary efforts that address challenges of national importance and will produce deliverables of value to society in the near future. Just as classical computers have allowed us to solve critical problems faster, find solutions to complex problems, and transfer information from one location to another, quantum computers could spur new breakthroughs in science. These breakthroughs would have real societal impact by enabling the discovery of medications to save lives, accelerate medical diagnostics, and bringing about new computing capabilities and functionalities that do not exist today. This grant will address the scaling challenge of quantum systems by offering new technology to spur the development of quantum computing via novel quantum interconnect technology. Quantum interconnects are a critical component for quantum information-processing systems. The quantum interconnect is a device or process that transfers information between different types of physical media. This research will advance several quantum information transport technologies by utilizing highly specialized properties of materials: topological and chiral properties. The techniques will significantly improve interconnections between quantum circuit elements.
In this grant, topology and chirality engineering is used to develop topological quantum materials operating in frequency ranges compatible with common supercomputing and other qubits. Delivering highly tunable, cryogenic compatible, quantum interconnects will address several challenges limiting advancements in modern quantum computing. The proposed CirquiT chips will mitigate technical barriers that have impeded progress in quantum interconnects due to issues of lossy transmission and dephasing of quantum information due to unwanted crosstalk. In terms of broader impacts, the research outcomes and impacts will be leveraged via partnerships with Quantum LA and the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) to connect students and industry sectors, and coordinate outreach to K-12 students and teachers.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of this project is to resolve the key technical challenge in scaling quantum computers (QC) - the lack of quantum interconnects and interconversion devices for networking. Current interconnects and converters, i.e., microwave cables, optic fibers, etc. are noisy, bulky, and suboptimal for QC architecture. Our high coherency, low-noise and scalable chiral quantum interconnects will help integrate different QC platforms and unleash the power of quantum computers and systems.
An ideal quantum interlink platform including interconnects and quantum converters must preserve the integrity of quantum information in networking different quantum systems. To date, QCs use conventional interlink technologies. As the industry ambitiously scales up the number of qubits, the need to improve interlinks and networking performance is becoming urgent among different quantum platforms (e.g., superconducting qubits, ion/atm-traps, quantum sensors, and alike) operating in different frequency domains. To accelerate the scaling-up, high-coherency interlinks that can transform quantum states coherently between different quantum platforms are critically needed.
Our overarching goal is to accelerate integration of QC and scaling. Our Solution: Providing innovative Chiral (i.e., directional) and hierarchical interconnects, and quantum converters with chip-level integration for networking different scaled quantum systems.
Thrust 1 - Intra-system chiral interconnect. Within a platform or intra system level, we focus on delivering miniaturized chiral microwave interconnects for e.g., superconductor systems. The approach uses novel chiral topological materials and structures to achieve chiral (one-way) microwave propagation in an on-chip microwave quantum circulator. We have demonstrated on-chip microwave circulators based on quantum mechanic principles. The dimension of this device is three orders smaller than its classical counterpart and thus can signficiantly reduce the footprint in cryostats.
Thrust 2 - Inter-system quantum converters. For connecting different QCs and sensor platforms, it is necessary to convert microwave to photons, which are preferred for medium and long-range quantum networking and communications. To enable such distributed QCs and quantum sensors (amongst SC, trapped atoms/ions, photonics, etc.), and leverage existing telecom infrastructures, high- coherency inter-band quantum converters will be designed and fabricated. The initial design was completed and components have been obtained. We have designed double disc resonators with high efficiency in translating quantum infomration from radio frequency to optical frequency for distributed qunatum systems.
Thrust 3 -Integrated quantum interposer and chiral network. Monolithic integration of quantum multichip modules is challenging at cryogenic temperatures. The benefits of Chiral networking is modeled to guide our interposer designs. We have provided the assessment of chiral networking and develop quantum interposer technologies, that can integrate and preserve quantum features in heterogeneous integration. The quantum interposer chips are aimed at providing the benefits of scaling (size, speed, and power) as well as reliability (mechanical and thermal robustness at the hetero interfaces). Design considerations, partners and users have been identified.
Last Modified: 09/20/2022
Modified by: Kang L Wang
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